The Dark Days of Panem
by DaddyOuuu1945
Summary: This is a prequel to the events of the first book, before even the hunger games existed. The story of the civil war that took place before, the soldiers that fought in it, and how it was all lost. I do not own the book series by any means, and I am not gaining profit from this, its all in good fun.
1. Chapter 1

**So this is my second attempt at making this, i hope that i have improved since. Anyway thanks for reading, i will continue this series and criticism of all types is appreciated. Thanks you.**

Chapter 1

Fire after Silence

I came out the door, the shining light was so bright it seemed as if a thousand suns were covering the valley, this was not the case as very quickly my eyes became accustomed to the bright sun. I grabbed my pickaxe and my helmet from the nearby wooden chair, right where I had left them.

I only took a few steps before a voice stopped me from my trip to town "Nero, are you going to come back by dinner, remember its Catherine's birthday today." I turned around to find my mother standing outside the shack with her oven mitts still on. I put on my helmet, "Maybe, today I was planning to work double shift, maybe that way I could buy her a present today… but I'll manage mom, don't worry"

"Well, just don't get in trouble darling, I love you" she got back inside the house, "I love you too" I said, in a whispering voice as I began to walk towards town.

It didn't take long for me to reach the town, about 30 minutes or so. By the time I arrived the stores were open, and people outside the streets going to their jobs at the mines followed my same route I took every day. The Capitol's management building right in the middle of town was surrounded by those armed guards as always. And the loudspeakers began the usual morning announcements.

"Attention, the pay amount for mining per hour has been reduced due to a lack of demand, you may ask details to your mine's manager. That's all for today."

Another paycheck deduction, those were common place. Every year it was either a miserable raise, or a huge deduction. Sometimes it was a monthly thing. District 13 wasn't a bad place to live at, soldiers didn't get on your head that much. However if you got too close to the fences leading to the Tech Installations you were assured a nice beating.

I arrived to the mine, it was one of the biggest graphite mines that there was, maybe just "The" biggest overall.

Everyone that worked at the mine was family, you had to rely on the guy next to you. One little mess up and it all came down. That happened once, and it was horrible, 35 guys trapped, we tried to get them out. We even asked for Capitol help, but that never happens, never.

I got all my gear on and already Alto and Garrick were waiting for me, we were friends since birth.

"Nero, how's things?" said Alto while he was smoking a cigarette. We weren't supposed to smoke at the mine but Alto never cared about that. "Lizzie is sick as always, it's her birthday today, I'll see if I can get her a present today."

They began laughing. "Well with what we win, you won't get her much" said Garrick sharpening his shovel. "I know, that's why I won't buy it at the plaza, I'll see what they got at the bazaar."

The bazaar was the place were poor people would buy things, it was all junk… however if you knew the right people you could get very nice things. Clothing from 2, meat from 10, even some jewelry from the Capitol.

The working day was tiresome as always, we were always pushed into finding more, even when they kept saying demand wasn't high. I picked and picked and kept on every day. Life was difficult in 13, at least for us at the bottom. I never complained though, never. My mother always said "keep on the work, keep your head down, and keep your life intact."

After work, I split from Alto and Garrick even though we would always head down to the bar for some mead, today I went directly to the bazaar. No guards stopped me so it was a direct trip.

After arriving to the bazaar I passed the first sellers, then I arrived at the one right at the corner of the alley where Tenner Rollo's post was. He usually would sell metals and woods for houses. I walked to him and asked "Hey Tenner, you…" I got close to him "Got something to sell me on this day."

He made the usual look of disbelief, but with no hesitation he gout of the box of good he had. "Take your pick, each are 5 coins."

Excited I looked at what the box contained, soft cloths with Capitol markings, pins with different shapes, and even some collars. Something that got my attention was a silver necklace with a flower shaped photo holder, it was all complete. "I'll take this" I checked my left pocket then my right, and I found exactly 5 coins, I put them in the counter and got the necklace in my bag.

"Thanks Tenner" I began running home, I didn't even hear what tenner responded.

I began running and running, passing the plaza, Capitol management, and the departments. I got to the common grounds, that's how we called the place where most people lived at. It was compromised of wooden houses, some shacks, and a few metal sheet homes.

I followed the dirt track to my house, knocked on the door and it was Celestine, my other sister who was only 3 years younger than me. "Back early I see."

"Shouldn't you be a school?" I said, "Shouldn't you be at the bar with your friends" she responded jokily. She let me in and there she was, Lizzie, in bed by my mom and our next door cousins Sam and Filo.

"Hi Sam, hi Filo." Both of them gave me a small nod, I hugged my mother and then got close to my sister. "Hey Liz, how are you feeling."

Lizzie smiled and hugged my head, "Nero! You came like you promised!"

"Well of course I did, how could I not on my sister's 8 year birthday" I got hold of my bag. "Have you gotten your present?"

"Well, cousin Filo and Sam got me a new pair of shoes, and Celeste gave me a new mirror, this hand mirror. This one isn't cracked." Her smile was what helped me deal with all problems, in grey days like this one, she would make them seem bright and colorful."

"Well that's great, look what I got you." I opened my bag and found the necklace, "Close your eyes."

She covered her eyes with both her hands, she was little and her hands barely even covered her face, which put a smile on me. I took out the necklace, everyone in the room was in awe. "Open your eyes Liz."

The moment she saw the necklace in front of her face she screamed of pure joy, she hugged my head tightly and I handed her the necklace. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

After finishing near squashing my head she got off the bed and got in front of the dirty mirror of her vanity table. She put on the necklace and began jumping of excitement. Everyone looked at me in shocked, as if they suspected I'd got the necklace in a… illegal way.

"I didn't do what you think I did, I got it at the bazaar." Everyone's face switched from disbelief to joy after noticing Lizzie dancing around the room, feeling like a total Capitolian princess. That present had really made her day.

Shew danced towards me and hugged my head again, "Thanks Nero." She gave me a soft kiss on my dirt covered check.

The rest of the day went by smoothly, we danced around a fireplace outside the house, ate the cake mom had baked the entire day. It was a good day, a very happy scene with family and friends as well. I knew that the moment when curfew would begin our misery would return, at least for most of us, but not Lizzie. She was one of a kind, a light in the dark. The only one that would put a smile on your face no matter what.

The night when well, I slept on the sofa, it had always been that way, my sisters in their room, and my mother as well. My mother's room was the only one with a door. She thought that way we couldn't hear her cry at night, but I could, I always could hear.

The sofa wasn't bad, it was in front of the fireplace and in the winter I was probably the best place in the house.

The next morning it was the same routine, Lizzie and Celestine to school, my mom to bake, and me to work. Only that today, it was different. Soldiers everywhere, more than usual, I even saw Pete from the bar being dragged away to a jeep.

When I got to the mine it was also many soldiers, more than usual again. Still it was a normal working day, I dig and dig as always with my pick.

At around noon we heard loud noises from outside, the guards told us to keep working, and we did. The noises didn't end. "Are those… explosions?" asked Alto. "I don't know, there isn't any breach schedule until next month." Despite the guards telling us to get back to work we began to make our way to the surface.

Once we reached the exits we saw smoke coming from the city, followed by sound of gunfire. Before we could start making our way to the city lots of guards armed with batons and riot shields began pushing us back telling us to get back to work. Most of us picked up our gear and began heading inside the mine however, we noticed Eero Herriot, a near deaf man being beaten by the guards for not complying with the order. Everyone began to push back the guards telling them to back off. One thing led to another and in seconds one of our fellow miner struck a guard with his pickaxe in the chest. Blood covered the rocky ground.

Everyone began charging the guards who were quickly overwhelmed, we ran towards the city. Buildings on fire, gunshots from afar, and dead soldiers on the streets.

I avoided any confrontation, including some Capitol soldiers dragging people away into their vans. When I arrived to my home, it was all in fire, not only mine but everyone's. I felt as if I had arrived too late and began panicking.

In less than what it took to blink I found myself on the floor, suffering from strong pain in my head. I was meet by familiar faces, mom, Lizzie, and Celestine. "Oh thank goodness you're all right Nero." They had hold of my head and I laid face up. People surrounded me kneeling down in fear.

"You are all part of this, don't try to hide it! Where are the rest of those rebels!" a Capitol soldier screamed as he waggled his side arm around. He was accompanied by other soldiers aiming their weapons at us, the crowd. Some men lied dead around us.

"If you're not willing to cooperate. So be it!" said the old looking soldier with the pistol in hand as he pointed it to an old women in front of him. The rest of the soldiers followed and aimed their weapons at us. All I could do was embraced my sisters and my mother to try and protect them from the certain doom we would face.

At that moment I realized, this was different.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all for reading, and reviewing, here is ch 2, I'll try and bring up chapters as fast as i can humanly can. I appreciate the people who decided to follow me, it really means a lot. Anyway I hope you enjoy :)**

Chapter 2

Hell's Storm In the Skies

The weapon was aimed at me now right to my forehead, the cold metal of the barrel made my skin crawl. The soldier had this sadistic smile on him, as if he truly enjoyed this. For all that I knew, he mind as well was.

"Are you a rebel, of course not, I see all the dirt you're covered with. That's the thing about you miners, you can always tell them away with that look, and that smell." The soldier kept his pistol to my head and got close to my ear.

"Is these your family? I'm awful sorry about this thing, I know it might seem quite preposterous to them. Do you know what preposterous is boy, oh what am I saying, your type of scum can't even read." I could imagine the face of terror from my mom and my sisters as well. The old lady from before lied cold dead right there, behind the soldier, her blood trailing through the ground.

"Well enough games, I guess since you ain't going to talk, I should just put you out right now." As he aimed the gun once more I closed my eyes, I thought about the day before, the delicious chocolate cake, dancing around the campfire with Lizzie.

To my surprise I wasn't another corpse, a familiar voice calling for the soldier to "Stop!" I opened my eyes to find Lizzie covering my face and hugging my body. The soldier still aiming his gun grabbed Lizzie by her hair pulling her again.

"No! Stop! I-" In that moment the butt of one of the soldiers weapon hit my stomach and they pulled me down to the floor, face flat.

"P-please stop…" I said.

The old soldier had another smile on his face and was even laughing a bit "You know, this is what I love about you people, you are all so, so loving. Pathetic. You see people" he was still taking hold of Lizzie's hair while she could only cry "This is how the system functions, you work, we protect, and the Capitol provides. Now when you start pulling this shit, this 'liberty for all' nonsense, the balance is lost. And it's up to us, the protectors, to protect you from yourselves, from having these dangerous ideas that not only make the system crumble but YOU crumble WITH the system as well." He was now aiming the gun around Lizzie's head. I couldn't move I tried but the other soldiers had me trapped like a fly in a spider's web.

"Now I don't want to kill any of you, I really don't believe it or not. But you just don't make it easy on us. All you had to do was keep working. But I guess nothing gold can stay." He let go of Lizzie's hair to now grab her left ear, he was still aiming the gun at her.

"I already killed the old brag, I thought that was enough punishment, but then what does this girl do." He began twitching her ear around. I began to push against the forces holding me.

"You… son of a bitch… I'm gonna kill you… I'll kill you motherfucker…" I said with crooked teeth.

"Well I guess this little sunshine can be my new pet, I mean the women here aren't really appealing, but this little ribbon. I think she can cut it. Don't you guys think so?" he looked at his subordinates for looks of approval. "Yes, she could really bring some comfort to this lonely man." He got close to her ear and I could hear how he whispered in her ear. "Will you sweetheart." Her tears, her soft cries for help.

"No! I'm gonna kill you!" I kept telling him.

It was at the point when he dared to kiss her cheek when I snapped, I pushed with inhuman force against the soldiers holding me, pushing them off. I ran straight to him, tackling him with all my force. I managed to put a few punches on him, one, then two, then at the third attempt he hold of my hand and hit me on the face pushing me away with his boots. "No, no… he's mine" he told the soldier "Just hold them back. This little bastard needs to learn!" he said as he slammed his boot on my ribs.

"What where you up to sport, uh?" he grabbed my shirt and pulled me to be face to face.

"I'll tell you what's gonna happen, first I'm gonna beat you to a pulp, then my men will have the women, and I'll have the girls especially your little savior. Then I'll crack your skull and we will be good. And I'll make sure you watch every second of it. How is that?" The soldiers began beating the men and others pulled the women and girls away.

He began punching my face again, non-stop, again and again.

It all went slow around me, every hit with the intensity of a bolt. Every hit was like a metal weight hitting my body. I felt heavy, I was breathing heavily, and I couldn't bear with the thought of Lizzie and what would happen to her.

Before I completely went out a loud sound followed by a heavy weight on me brought me to my senses. It was the soldier, whose blood covered my face and clothes and his lifeless body rested on me. Half of his scalp was gone, and blood was everywhere.

A friendly hand covered in a dark glove reached to me, I couldn't comprehend what the figure was saying or how he looked, and it was all blurry to me. Since I didn't respond to his gesture the figure simply kneeled close to me, and pulled me so I could rest my back.

After a few minutes my vision came back to normality, the figure was a man in grey fatigues wearing a khaki colored military vest, he had a black helmet on and black gloves on. He was attending my rib wounds and my face was no longer melted with blood. "Hey, hey are you ok boy?" the man, sporting a scruffy beard had his flashlight to my eyes.

"You really took a big hit kid, rest up for a bit, I cleaned you up but our doc will take a look at you. Don't move." He grabbed the rifle he had put on the floor and began walking away, other men in similar military looking outfits where present.

"Hey, who are you people?" I asked, the man stopped and turned his head to me.

"District 13 militia. Militiamen Ovid Arausio at your service kid."

"Are you the rebels?"

"Well, that's our unofficial title I suppose. So yes, I guess we are." Ovid responded with a rather sincere smile.

After he walked away I noticed he had put some gauze pads on my head wound. It was resting on a wall alongside other wounded men. Some were people from town others, were rebels. I was at the plaza now, somehow I had ended up here without even noticing. I could see the smoke of the common grounds from afar. I then remembered, "Lizzie."

I looked and began making pleas of help. One of the rebels noticed me and walked to me, he took of his scarf "What do you need?"

"I was with… my family, they're names… Lizzie, Celestine, and Mir-" at that moment a familiar voice raised my hope up "Nero!"

I turned my head to find Lizzie carrying a bucket running towards me, she let go of the bucket and embraced me, her hug felt like a thousand needles on my body, but I didn't care. I hugged her back. "Well I suppose this is one of the girls" said the soldier in relief.

"Liz, where's mom, and Celestine?" I asked, worried. "They went to the food line, these nice men helped you, and one of them even saved my necklace from the fire Nero. Look." She took out the necklace and showed it to me.

"That would've been me" said another familiar voice, it was Ovid, and he was accompanied by a female rebel dressed with a combination of military and medical equipment.

"Sergeant Arausio, sir" said the rebel in front of me as he stood straight and saluted Ovid. "At ease soldier, get to your station, I'll be helping this young men for now." The rebel walked away and

Ovid kneeled down to me, "Lizzie here hasn't left your side for the entire day. You really seem to be quite her idol. I asked her to bring you some water, I guess she got a little excited." He looked at the bucket that was on the ground.

The female rebel was now inspecting every inch of my body. "No serious head trauma, only a mild rib fracture, one of the ribs is in serious condition but some rest and painkillers should do the trick. He really took those blows like a rock. If he'd taken more he'd be dead." She took out a syringe from her satchel with a red cross. She injected it on my right arm.

"Rest up, take enough water. Come see me if you need any more help. Doctor Talon at your service. Sergeant Ovid, I have other patients to tend, if you'll excuse me." Ovid nodded to her and she walked away.

"Lizzie, would you make me a favor" said Ovid, she looked at me then at him and gave an innocent nod. "Could you spare me some time with Nero." She gave me a kiss on my clean cheek and went away.

Ovid took off his helmet. "I'm sure you have some questions kid. You missed the speech while you were off, so I'll answer any you have."

"Who are you, and what happened to the soldiers?" I asked.

"We're the District 13 militia. Most of you don't know any of us, that's because we've been underground. Operating, preparing, to lead the districts to freedom. We eliminated all opposition in the district quickly I won't go into details, but let's just say that you don't have to worry about the 'Protectors' bothering you anymore." I remember the blood, and the look of that old soldier's face, his body. It made my skin crawl.

"How is it that almost none of you look from the district?" I looked around, tents, crates of weapons and ammo everywhere. Rebels on the rooftops and even some vehicles.

"Like I said, we operated underground for a very long time, I joined the militia when I was 18, and I had to fake my own death in the mines. Many here have faked their own deaths as well. Scholars, doctors, miners, farmers. One way or the other we all united to rise up."

I was perplexed, it all didn't make sense at all yet it kind of did. All the disappearances, the collapses, the everything. It was bigger than any of us could have imagined. "That's all I can think of…" I said looking down on the floor.

"Then this is what I wanted to ask you kid?" I looked up to him in confusion. "Would you be willing to sacrifice your life, your security, all you have been accustomed to, for a chance to change things? A chance to give Lizzie a proper home, to have a true job, to live without fear. Would you join us to fight the Capitol? Bring all districts together and overthrow those at the top." I began to wonder in my own thoughts. He continued talking, and I continued listening.

"Would you be willing to join our ranks, die standing up, rather than live crawling down? That is all that I ask you." He stood up, and again gave his hand to me just like before.

I looked at his hand, I felt that what he had said was right, I've always hated the Capitol, I never had the chance to have a real job ever since I was born. I knew Lizzie would never accomplish her dreams, Celestine knew herself she would become a baker just like mom, and mom knew I would eventually die in the mines, just like my dad did. Yet I couldn't take the offer, I couldn't because it would mean risking Lizzies only father figure. Breaking my mother's hearth, and cutting off Celestine.

"I can't, I'm sorry…" I looked down to the floor again. Ovid only stood there. It was an awkward silence between us two that least for a near 20 minutes.

"Planes! We got Capitol planes coming in." Ovid looked over the horizon, he put on his helmet and told me "Get your family to safety, NOW!" Lizzie, mom, and Celestine were already helping me up. Ovid went off with the other rebels.

"Oh god, come on Nero." Said mom as she and Celestine helped me up. Everyone in the area began to run to the buildings, the wounded being helped by rebel medics. And some even crawling away.

We got inside the Capitol management building, and took cover as we heard bombs going off and gunfire as well.

I looked over the top through the window. I only had one good eye so I could barely see, but the plaza was being bombed to pieces. I saw Ovid on a rooftop, firing at the sky with other rebels, being shot at yet still standing.

These men didn't know us, they had to obligation to help us, yet they did and still stood up to the Capitol's might. At that moment I realized I had to help. I stood up using all my strength.

"Nero, what are you doing?!" asked my mother and Celestine. "I'm going to help."

"What!" said mother. "I can't stand here while they get slaughtered. Anyone that wants to come and help stand up!" no one stood. "Fine." I got out through the door, and pushing against myself got to the weapon and ammo crates. I took hold of the first gun I had on my hands, I used the straps to put it against my back and grabbed more weapons and some ammo boxes and began running to the building Ovid was at, the planes kept shooting and I merely escaped the bullets hitting the ground behind me and in front.

I looked over the Capitol's building, men and women both wounded and unscratched ran to the crates and followed my same actions. I continued running to the buildings. I got inside and went up the stairs to the roof. Ovid and other rebels were still shooting.

"Ovid! Ovid! Here bullets and weapons, the rebels picked up a heavy looking machine gun I brought and set it up on the sandbags. Ovid got close to me "Thanks for helping out kid." I nodded and noticed how other people were also bringing weapons to the rebels on other rooftops and buildings. Many also began shooting the planes down.

"Come on, we gotta shoot these planes down." He grabbed continued shooting up in the sky. I took hold of the rifle on my back and shot up in the sky as well. Capitol planes covered the sky, one flew right in our directions, shooting its weapons. Ovid told us to aim in his direction. The rebels and I aimed but did not shoot "Don't shoot yet, we have to wait till their close."

The plane flew fast towards us "Not yet!"

It continued shooting at us "NOT YET!"

By the time it was closely to no more than a mile away Ovid yelled "Fire"

It was a hell storm of bullet casing falling to the ground, the bullets we shoot combined like fire, the plane catch fumes and it lost controls. I even managed to see a glimpse of the cockpit and the pilot's blood inside.

We used the same process of combined fire on the rest of the planes, other groups followed suit. Ovid had quickly taught me how to reload my weapon and I only followed everything he told me. We destroyed near to a dozen. At the thirteen plane that came again straight to us it took a lot but we managed to make it loose control and crash. As it crashed I follow its course, and saw how it crashed towards the Capitol management building.

All I could do was scream "NO!"


End file.
